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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Macy’s, Neiman Marcus & others to give away free cosmetics in settlement: Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Clarins, Chanel, Boucheron, Dior

A trip to your local department store may be in order next week…

Hmmm...Chanel CoCo Mademoiselle...my favorite!

http://www.cosmeticssettlement.com/


Washington Business Journal

Macy’s, others to give away cosmetics in settlement

Lawsuit requires retailers to give away cosmetics

A clump of retailers will be giving away free cosmetics, skin care and perfumes on Jan. 20, as part of a 5-year-old settlement involving price fixing on beauty products.

Stores giving away items such as mascara tubes and perfume bottles include Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus and Target.

The giveaway stems from a February 2004 class-action settlement filed on behalf of consumers who purchased cosmetics between May 1994 and July 2003, according to the settlement’s Web site (www.cosmeticssettlement.com). The retailers have claimed no wrong doing.

As part of the settlement, $175 million in cosmetics will be given away, one per person in a first-come, first serve basis. Consumers will be able to choose one item per person until supplies last. Brands include Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Clarins, Guerlain, Givenchy, Chanel, Boucheron, Cody, Calvin Klein, L’Oréal and Christian Dior.

The products involve mascara, skin care, moisturizers and fragrances, said Macy’s spokeswoman Sharon Bateman. “None of the product comes from the store’s regular inventory,” she said. “I think these products were created specifically for this give away.”

The offer will last until all of the products in a particular store are distributed.

Consumers are not required to show proof of purchase at Macy’s stores, though its customers will have to sign a certification sheet acknowledging they purchased the products.

Cincinnati-based Macy’s (NYSE:M) operates about 850 locations, including 40 Bloomingdale’s stores. There are about 15 Macy’s stores in the D.C. area.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Ebay pick of the week - vintage Fendi crocodile/alligator shoulder bag


Very reputable seller


Vintage Crocodile Fendi Shoulder bag (comparable to the infamous crocodile (or alligator) twins tote) I've got one just like this one. Who needs a black croc Hermes Kelly when have this vintage beauty for fraction of the cost.

The Fendi Twins Tote










Ashley Olsen has been seen toting around the most gorgeous vintage Fendi tote in alligator or crocodile for some time now. Well as a vintage piece is no longer available (except in some lucky closets or consignment shops somewhere) fashionistas everywhere created such a demand for this tote and Fendi heard their pleas and rereleased it (though slightly modified) in leather.

Humdrum beige, gray, black, brown and navy blue shades were/are/will be readily available at stores like eLuxury.com, Saks.com and NeimanMarcus.com and a pink/plum or rose color was also available in some locations around the world for about $1630 retail. Now a lipstick red version is available and it has a detachable shoulder strap! That strap must be expensive because it is now selling for $1890 at eLuxury.com. The navy blue is on preorder at Saks and beige is on preorder at Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodmans and both also have a shoulder strap and are priced at $1790. I guess red is so hot it commands an extra $100? I haven't seen any online stores carrying the electric blue color with a shoulder strap that is shown in the photo on what appears to be a model.

As Fendi always ends up in sales bins after the season ends (and sometimes during the season to some early buyer's dismay), you can find some colors on sale at BlueFly.com for about $1200. I think this will be Fendi's latest success since the Spy bag and baguette....I rarely look at Fendi bags but this time they have a winner. I bought the pink one (well I bought two of them and have one for sale on my Bonanzle and eBay sites) and found a black vintage shoulder version of infamous crocodile/alligator tote (see my next post). I dumped my metallic gold Fendi spy bag earlier this year so now the vintage croc shoulder bag and the pink tote will be the only Fendi's representing in my collection. Unless I cannot resist the lipstick red :)

Friday, January 9, 2009

New Louis Vuitton Stephen Sprouse Roses Stole in Fuschia (or Fuchsia)






UPDATE: Ok I got caught up in the hype. Within a few weeks of purchase I returned this scarf. I just could not figure out how to rock it and it was just a bit too loud for me.
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Well today I picked up the new Roses Stole in fuschia (or fuchsia as LV describes it) from the new Sprouse collection. This was the only thing I really was into as I love this style of scarf in the leopard prints. It is steep at $890 but the colors are very beautiful and in person is not as loud as some of the other neon colors seems online. It is almost like a strawberry red or dark fuschia with some reddish undertones. It really does not even seem as bright fuschia as it seems in my photos (which were taken with a flash)...in normal indoor lighting it looks closer to red. I photographed it next to a red Chanel bag and a rose shocking chevre Hermes Kelly Wallet. I think it will add a great pop of color to outfits year round but especially this spring.

Here is a photo of a B-list R&B singer wearing it (along with a lot of other Sprouse items head to toe...yikes!)

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Return of Stephen Sprouse at Louis Vuitton












The diehard Vuitton fans already know this, but a new collection featuring Stephen Sprouse graffiti is being released this week. If you never got over your fetish for neon clothing from the 80's or you love bright cheery colors...this line may be for you. Stop by your local Louis Vuitton boutique tomorrow and be prepared for an onslaught of other LV fans or shop online at LouisVuitton.com. It is a little garish for my tastes but I could see myself with the fuschia rose cashmere stole. I'm love fuschia! From what I understand not all pieces are going to be available tomorrow, mainly the roses in lieu of the graffiti. See some more at WeLoveSprouse.com

Mac Cosmetics 25% off - last day is today!

This has nothing to do with handbags/shoes but I had to share...

Save 25% off everything* online!
Use offer code MACFF9.
Ends tonight

You are invited to take 25% OFF everything* in the entire online store!